Shooters To Sell Franchises For Restaurants

November 30, 1985|By Marcia H. Pounds, Business Writer

Imagine tying up your boat and walking into a Shooters restaurant -- in Cleveland.

Shooters, which runs waterfront restaurants in Fort Lauderdale and Boynton Beach, is selling franchises. The company is negotiating for restaurant sites in Madeira Beach (near St. Petersburg), Tampa, Orlando, and Cleveland.

``We`ve had a lot of people coming to us. They`ve shown a lot of interest in the Shooters concept,`` said Mel Burge, one of four partners in Shooters.

Burge said the company hopes to have 10 to 12 franchises across the country in the next two to three years.

The company expects most franchises to be in warm-weather sites.

``As long as it fits in with the concept -- the water concept with boating. That kind of eliminates Montana,`` said Bob Oberer, Shooters director of corporate development. ``We`ve been feeling out the market and getting some good response.``

Excluding the building and land, a Shooters franchise interior package will run $1 million to $1.2 million, Oberer said. The franchises will be about 12,000 square feet, contain a patio, deck and pool, and feature casual dining.

For granting the franchise, Shooters will retain initial fees of $50,000 and 5 percent of monthly gross revenue. Shooters will provide training for franchisees, including on-site help for three to six months, Oberer said.

Burge said the decision to franchise Shooters has nothing to do with a lawsuit the company filed last year against a Singer Island restaurant it said was using Shooters` name and logo. Franchising is one way of protecting a company`s name. The lawsuit has been resolved in Shooters` favor, Burge said.

He declined to disclose the restaurant operation`s annual revenues but said Shooters is one of the higher grossing restaurants in the area.

Shooters in Fort Lauderdale has been open for three years. The Boynton Beach restaurant and nightclub has been open about a year. The company is owned by Burge, Regis Moreau, Al Lahye and Roland Maranda; the partners have experience in the restaurant and real estate businesses.

Next year the company plans to open its third area restaurant in Miami Beach. That will probably be the last of the company-owned restaurants.

Burge said Shooters has decided to franchise instead of expanding its own chain. ``The three company-owned restaurants and franchising will keep us busy.``